Born and raised in the UAE to Pakistani parents, Namal represents what many would call a third-culture kid – a blend of diverse cultural influences that shape one’s identity
Ana S. Gad
In the vast landscape of literature, few figures stand out for their ability to merge different aspects of life into one coherent narrative. Namal Siddiqui is one such individual whose journey is as multifaceted as the subjects she explores in her poetry and writing. A spoken word poet, creative writer, mountaineer, and self-proclaimed “Cynical Sufi,” Namal has carved out a unique space in the literary and cultural scenes of the UAE and beyond.
A Third-Culture Kid
Born and raised in the UAE to Pakistani parents, Namal represents what many would call a third-culture kid – a blend of diverse cultural influences that shape one’s identity. This experience has been a cornerstone of her writing. Her poetry and essays often delve into themes of identity, migration, and nature. Growing up in a cosmopolitan society like the UAE, where cultures converge and overlap, Namal learned to navigate different worlds while always searching for meaning and grounding in her roots.
Her ability to straddle cultures comes through vividly in her work. She reflects on the contradictions, challenges, and beauty of belonging to multiple worlds – often with a tinge of cynicism, but always with a deeper search for spiritual understanding. It’s no surprise that she refers to herself as a “Cynical Sufi,” someone who questions the world around her while seeking spiritual truths.
From Advertising to the Mountains
Namal’s path to becoming a poet and writer is not a traditional one. Before dedicating herself to literature, she worked in advertising and tech start-ups for over a decade. These fast-paced industries honed her skills in creativity and communication, but Namal craved something more -something that would allow her to explore her personal passions on a deeper level.
She took a long sabbatical to pursue mountaineering, a journey that connected her to nature in ways she hadn’t imagined. Scaling mountains became a metaphor for life’s challenges and the pursuit of self-discovery, much like her approach to writing. During this time, Namal also decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Birmingham City University, further developing her skills and carving out a space for herself in the world of literature.
Championing Culture at the Emirates Literature Foundation
After returning to the UAE, Namal found her place at the Emirates Literature Foundation (ELF) in Dubai. As the Community Events Manager, she now curates special events for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature—one of the most prestigious literary festivals in the region. Her work focuses not only on the festival itself but on a year-long program that keeps the cultural scene vibrant and engaging.
Through her role, Namal helps bring together writers, poets, and thinkers from around the world, creating spaces for dialogue and reflection. Her passion for community-building shines through as she organizes events that inspire others to engage with literature and the arts in meaningful ways.
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A Poet in the Spotlight
As a spoken word poet, Namal has performed at several high-profile events, including EXPO 2020, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, and the Global Citizen Festival. Her performances are known for their emotional depth, exploring complex topics like identity and migration, which resonate with diverse audiences. She is also currently working on a poetry collection for publication, further cementing her place as a key voice in contemporary poetry.
Co-Founding Zarriya: Bridging Culture and Knowledge
In addition to her work at ELF, Namal together with Farah Ali and Nima Elnour, co-founded Zarriya, an interdisciplinary platform dedicated to exploring culture and knowledge through various forms of art and expression. This initiative is a natural extension of her creative and intellectual pursuits, blending her love for literature, culture, and community into one cohesive project.
Through Zarriya, Namal seeks to create spaces where individuals can engage with both local and global cultural narratives. The platform reflects her desire to bridge gaps, create understanding, and foster meaningful conversations across different communities.
Namal has recently started teaching creative writing as adjunct lecturing at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she combines her love for writing with academic teaching to inspire students.
Cynical Sufi: A Search for Meaning
Despite her cynicism, Namal’s poetry and life philosophy are rooted in a deep search for meaning – much like the Sufi tradition she references in her self-proclaimed title. Her work often grapples with existential questions about identity, belonging, and purpose, drawing on both her spiritual and cultural background to seek answers. In this way, she embodies the duality of skepticism and faith, constantly questioning the world while remaining open to its mysteries.
Namal Siddiqui’s journey from advertising executive to mountaineer, poet, and cultural curator is one that inspires reflection and curiosity. She is a testament to the power of embracing multiple passions and finding ways to bring them together in meaningful ways. Whether through her poetry, her work at ELF, or her interdisciplinary platform Zarriya, Namal continues to enrich the cultural landscape of the UAE and beyond.
Her story reminds us that life is not a straight path but a series of explorations – each mountain climbed, and each poem written brings us closer to understanding ourselves and the world around us.
Read: “Allow Your Passion To Become Your Purpose, And It Will One Day Become Your Profession”
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Ana S. Gad is a pen name of the Dubai-based, internationally acclaimed writer, scholar, journalist, editor and digital artist Dr. Ana Stjelja. In 2005 she graduated from the Faculty of Philology from the Turkish Language and Literature Department. In 2009 she earned a Master’s degree in Sufism. In 2012 she obtained her PhD in Serbian Literature (with the thesis on the life and work of one of the first Serbian women writers and world travelers Jelena J. Dimitrijevic). She is an award-winning poet, writer, translator, journalist, independent scientific researcher and editor. She published more than 30 books of different literary genres, and is the author of numerous research papers and essays on literature, feminism and diverse cultures (cultural heritage). She is also a digital artist (with special focus on the graphic design, digital collage art). She is the Editor-in-Chief of various online magazines: the Alia Mundi Magazine for Cultural Diversity, the Enheduana Online Literary Magazine, the Poetryzine, an online magazine for Poets and Poetry in English. She is also the founder and the editor of the Web Portal Eastern Pearl dedicated to the Eastern cultures, Sands and City Magazine, a Dubai-based online magazine on culture of the UAE and Gulf and Art&Act Magazine on art. In 2018 she founded Association Alia Mundi for Promoting Cultural Diversity. In July 2022, she successfully completed the Introduction to Psychology course at the American Yale University, where her lecturer was the university professor and world-famous (Canadian-American) psychologist Paul Bloom. Right now, she is a mentee of the Creative Spotlight Program supported by the British Council and the Thomson Foundation. She is a member of the Association of Writers of Serbia, the Association of Journalists of Serbia, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Europeana Pro.
Courtesy: Sands and City (Online Magazine – Dubai) October 9, 2024
Photo: Namal Siddiqui Instagram
